Bro. David's Weekly Word
Weekly Word from Bro. David
August 25, 2016
From The Pastor's Heart:
This is our fifth section in this series as we study through the Old Testament prophecy of Malachi. We're in Malachi 2:10-17 as we think about this subject: Evidence of an unfaithful heart.
God is faithful to His people, and calls His people to be faithful to Him. The prophet also wants us to see that people are not only called to be faithful to God, but also faithful to each other, within the covenant community of God's people.
Last week in our passage, we saw that God's people are continually unfaithful and we saw that an unfaithful heart is shown by a lack of commitment to the will of God.
Today we will see how an unfaithful heart is shown by a lack of conviction about the way of God. This is seen in Malachi 2:13-15;
13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.
15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
People think that there are many roads to travel in life. As Americans we love having many choices. We go to a restaurant and we want a large menu from which to choose. When we go to the salad bar at the restaurant we want a wide selection to put on our plate. When we go to the car dealership we want many options to consider. When we go to the mall one clothing store just isn't enough. We want options and we love choices.
Therefore, people think that there are many roads to travel in life that will take them to many different destinations. In reality, there are only two roads to travel. There are only two ways. There's man's way, and there's God's way. That's it! Only two!
Now, man's way might express itself in an endless number of disguises, but in the end, it always leads to the same place. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” and Proverbs 4:18 says “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
When we no longer hold our convictions about the way of God, we begin to go our own way. And then, we're on the path to disaster.
This is seen through disrespect for God and His purpose in verse 13, which says, 13 And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
Malachi charges the people with disrespecting the altar of God. He says, ''You cover the Lord's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.'' The people of God were stunned that God would not regard their offerings. But the reason God would not regard their offerings was that they had completely disrespected his purpose and plan. They were asking God, ''Why have you left us?'' when, in fact, they had left God.
As so often occurs among those who claim to follow the Lord, they were complaining because the Lord was not meeting their demands. They never imagined that the failure was their own. This could be compared to the situation at the first battle of Ai in Joshua chapter 7. They also felt they could do it their way and God would have to accept it, but they were in for a surprise.
When we no longer hold our convictions about the way of God, it can also be seen in a lack of respect for God and His plans as far as we are concerned.
As is always the case, when you are no longer interested in the divine purpose of God, the evidence will show in the details of your life. For God's people, they completely disrespected God's plan and design for marriage.
''Why does He not?'' In other words, why does God no longer accept our offerings? The answer is found in verses 14-15.
14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant.
15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.
Here is one of the most beautiful descriptions of marriage in the OT and in all of the Bible. ''She is your companion and your wife by covenant.'' Marriage is not just a contract, a two-way relationship between husband and wife, but a ''covenant,'' a three-way relationship in which the couple is accountable to God, for ''the LORD was witness'' to that covenant.
Why was this so important? It was part of God's plan. God called Israel to be the channel for bringing the Messiah into the world, and anything that corrupted that stream would work against His great plan of salvation. God commanded the Jews to be a separate people not because they were better than any other nation, but because He had a very special task for them to perform. Anything that broke down that wall of separation would play into the hands of the evil one who did all he could to keep the Messiah from being born.
God's holy nature demands that we pay attention to His plan and path. We must have deep convictions about the ways of God. These ways certainly run contrary to the world, but they also lead to a different destination. Life and blessing instead of death and destruction.
Next time we are together we will finish this section of Malachi by seeing that an unfaithful heart is shown by a lack of concern for the Word of God.